Grilled Caesar Salad

The best way to enjoy a salad during the summer is to grill a Caesar salad. Gold standard: smoky grilled romaine lettuce topped with handmade Caesar dressing that is rich and creamy.

Are you ready for the most delicious summer salad concept that’s about to land on your plate? Grilled Caesar salad. Wait, grilled lettuce? Certainly, romaine lettuce that has been grilled develops a smokey flavor that gives it an enticing quality. Think about how amazing Caesar salad tastes. Now imagine that it has been grilled; this brings it to an entirely new level. The components for this recipe are all sourced from ALDI, which is our go-to store for reasonably priced, extremely high-quality, and organic products for the summer. This salad is ideal for celebrations such as Memorial Day and July 4th, as well as any barbecue in between.

How to Make Grilled Caesar Salad

How exactly does one cook a Caesar salad using the grill? We’re pleased you asked. When Alex and I grilled romaine lettuce for the first time, we were absolutely blown away by the smoky taste it imparted to the salad. That is definitely something you should try at least once, particularly if you already have the barbecue going for your grilled meal.

Grill the romaine lettuce:

• Heat up: Bring a grill up to a medium-high temperature.
• To prepare, cut the romaine lettuce in half lengthwise. To finish, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar (optional).
• When using a grill, place the food directly on the grates and cook for about two to three minutes on each side, or until it is gently browned.

That wraps it up! In order to make this dish even more exciting, we grilled some avocado and included it in the recipe. Similar to grilling romaine, grilled avocado has an appealing smokey flavor. It gives the salad a richer flavor and makes it more substantial all at the same time.

Grill the avocados:

Halve and rub with oil: Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Then, rub the cut surface of each half with oil. Olive oil should be rubbed into the sliced side, and kosher salt should be sprinkled on top.

Grill: Place the cut side down on the grates and grill for approximately four to six minutes, or until grill marks appear.

How to Make the Best Caesar Dressing

The “renowned” Caesar dressing is the secret ingredient that makes this grilled Caesar salad so delicious. Because it is so simple to prepare and because the end result is so velvety and savory in flavor, you won’t ever want to buy it again. The tangy flavor of this healthy Caesar dressing comes from the use of Greek yogurt, which also contributes to a slight reduction in the total number of calories. To achieve a robust flavor, you will need the following ingredients:

• Greek yogurt: Yogurt can be used to replace some of the mayonnaise in this recipe for a healthier twist! It makes it easier to digest and adds some of the beneficial probiotics that are found in yogurt. (At our Healthy Ranch, we make use of this strategy as well.)
• Mayonnaise imparts a substantial amount of delicious creaminess, just like the traditional Caesar dressing recipe.
• Juice from lemons: Using freshly squeezed lemon juice imparts that characteristic tartness.
• Cheese Parmesan: The addition of Parmesan imparts a flavorful saltiness to the dish.
• This Caesar dressing recipe’s very savory flavor is rounded out perfectly by the addition of garlic and Dijon mustard. There is no need for anchovies here!
• Prefer vegan instead? You can make our vegan Caesar salad with vegan Caesar dressing by simply substituting grilled romaine for raw romaine.

A Tip on Best Quality Olive Oil

This particular recipe for grilled Caesar salad calls for an extra-virgin olive oil that is referred to as Specially Selected Premium Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was awarded the 2019 Best New Product Award, and the flavor undoubtedly reflects that achievement. Both Alex and I are grateful that ALDI makes an effort to provide high-quality ingredients like this oil at prices that are within the price range that allows them to be accessible to everyone. The winners were chosen using repurchase intent, product superiority rating, and consumer appeal as the determining factors.

Ingredients

For the Caesar dressing (makes 1 cup; this recipe uses about half)

• ¼ cup Priano Parmesan Italian Cheese, finely grated, plus additional for serving
• 1 medium garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
• ¼ cup Burman’s Mayonnaise
• ½ cup Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt
• 1 tablespoon Specially Selected Premium Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons Burman’s Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Grilled Caesar Salad

• 4 romaine hearts
• 2 organic avocados
• ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar (optional)
• Kosher salt & pepper

Instructions

• Prepare a grill with the heat setting at medium-high.
• Put together the dressing by Preparing the Parmesan cheese by grating it as finely as you can (a microplane or a grater with the smallest holes will be helpful for this step). You can grate the garlic, or you can mince it very finely. Make lemon juice using it. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing by whisking them together. Store refrigerated (keeps for at least 1 week).
• Prepare the romaine lettuce and avocado as follows: The romaine should be washed and patted dry. Each heart of romaine lettuce should be cut in half lengthwise. Olive oil should be liberally applied to either side before cooking. Add a few pinches of kosher salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper to the top before finishing with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
• Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and scoop out the pits (see the video for safe pit removal). Lightly sprinkle kosher salt on the cut surfaces of the avocado halves, and then lightly drizzle olive oil over the entire surface.
• The romaine lettuce and avocado should be grilled: Put the hearts of the romaine lettuce on the grill and cook them for about three minutes on each side, or until they have a faint char. The avocado halves should be grilled with the sliced sides down for a total of four to six minutes until grill marks appear.
• When ready to serve, divide the romaine lettuce head in half and place each piece on a separate dish or on a serving platter. To finish, top each serving with Caesar dressing, dollops of avocado, diced cherry tomatoes, and shavings of Parmesan cheese. Steak knives should be used for serving to make the meat easier to cut.

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